


Oh, Creator Please Don't Leave Me Waiting

by yourselenite



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky is a robot, Happy Ending, LITERALLY, Light Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourselenite/pseuds/yourselenite
Summary: It had been a long time since Tony stepped foot in his father’s office. It had to have been when he was no older than six when Howard finally put a passcode lock on the door. Well, until Tony figured out how to bypass it at seven and then it became fingerprint sensitive. It felt like a game to Tony, but his father wouldn’t have it. It wasn’t long before the office was moved outside of their home. Or so Tony thought.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53
Collections: Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2020





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art for "Oh, Creator, Please Don't Leave Me Waiting" by yourselenite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29092383) by [Taste_is_Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/pseuds/Taste_is_Sweet). 



> Another post for the MRBB!  
> This time the fic was inspired by art by Taste_Is_Sweet here on Ao3!  
> Shoutout to mangoandpersimmon on tumblr for the beta
> 
> Title is from Hello World by Louie Zong. Highly recommend looking it up on youtube for the cute animation that goes with it.

It had been a long time since Tony stepped foot in his father’s office. It had to have been when he was no older than six when Howard finally put a passcode lock on the door. Well, until Tony figured out how to bypass it at seven and then it became fingerprint sensitive. It felt like a game to Tony, but his father wouldn’t have it. It was after he cracked the eye reading software that Howard moved his office out of the house entirely.

Tony stood in front of what used to be the old office. It brought a bittersweet feeling that he hadn’t expected. He was going to be able to enter it again after all these years and without the scrutiny of his father. The bitterness came from knowing that the only reason this was possible was because his father recently passed away.

The funeral was today. Howard was being buried next to Tony’s mother. Tony thought it would be better to pay his respect in a place where they were almost equals.

When he reached for the door, he expected it to be locked, but the doorknob turned easily. Inside, the office looked how Tony remembered it; plus a film of dust over everything. It smelled like his father and old books.

Tony stepped through, taking a deep breath. After he passed the threshold, something unfamiliar caught his eye in the corner of the room. Standing in the corner was the beginnings of a humanoid robot. Tony could make out the basic wiring of legs and a support frame for the upper half. It was nowhere near finished. When he moved closer for a better look, it seemed that the dust had only just started to settle.

“Why was Dad working on a robot?” Tony whispered to himself.

A quick pivot away from the skeleton towards the desk brought Tony’s attention to fully laid out plans for a functional robot capable of moving independently. Some of the ideas were based on early ideas of Artificial Intelligence, but Howard had created a blueprint for a decent robot, despite the information he had to work with.

The longer Tony looked over the plans, the stronger he felt the pull to take the skeleton home and inspect it before taking it apart. 

After an hour of debating with himself, and taking more and more glances at the robot, Tony rolled up the blueprints and carried the robot frame out of his father’s old office.

On the drive back to New York, he felt chills run up his spine and tingling in his left arm. He shook it off as nerves and continued his drive, forgetting the feeling by the time he was home.

~*~

Tony started working on the robot immediately, scanning in his father’s plans and projecting them in the air. He stood in the middle of them. He started erasing equations and formulating his own.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Save this to my personal drive.”

“Of course, sir. And what should this project be called?”

Tony stopped moving for a moment. What could he even call this half-finished robot he stole from his father’s office? Then it hit him.

“Bionic Universally-Computerized Kinesthetic Youth. Or B.U.C.K.Y. for short.”

“Very well, sir.”

With a small sense of pride, Tony got to work on finishing up the inner workings of B.U.C.K.Y. He updated the wiring then strengthened the skeleton holding up the body. A robot this size would need serious structure in order to hold it up.

A few hours later, Tony was elbow deep in the central wiring when JARVIS called overhead, “Sir, Rogers and Wilson are here to see you. They do not seem to be in good spirits.”

Tony waved his free hand in the air to dismiss the AI. He knew Steve and Sam were coming back from his dad’s funeral, trying to find him. He was sure they would understand that Tony hadn’t wanted to go. But he didn’t want to talk to them yet.

He didn’t want to think about the death of his father either. It wasn’t something Tony was expecting. Howard was in his mid-sixties, but he was healthy in every way possible. He died in his sleep without warning, without cause, leaving Tony in charge of Stark Industries at the age of 27.

He wasn’t alone, though. Tony was reminded of this as JARVIS chimed in again about Sam and Steve asking to come into his workshop.

“Not right now, J. Tell them to come back later.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tony rolled his eyes at the judgement in JARVIS’s voice.

The day turned into the evening and there was another attempt from Steve and Sam to enter the workshop.

“Sir, they’ve brought you food.”

“Have them leave it at the door,” Tony responded from behind the robot.

“But Sir-”

“Do it, J.”

There was no response, so Tony took it as a yes. He waited a few minutes to make sure they were both gone, before opening his door and finding a sandwich with a glass of water. He stepped back in quickly, bringing the plate and glass back to his work station.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to see his best friends. They meant a lot to him, but Tony didn’t think he could handle the two soulmates right now.

Growing up, Tony was excited to get his own soulmark. He admired his mom’s and Jarvis’s. However, on the morning of his 16th birthday, Tony didn’t experience any euphoria or a burning sensation like branding to his skin. He held out hope that maybe he was a late bloomer, that maybe he’d get it at 17. But there was nothing.

Steve stood by his side through the crushing disappointment. They had met right before Tony turned 16, Steve already 17 with a red falcon across his back.

“Did that hurt?” Tony remembered asking.

“Like hell,” Steve returned with a small laugh.

When Tony came up blank, without his own soulmark, Steve was the one who let him cry for hours; held him up when he drank himself into a stupor.

Things changed when they made it to college. Steve went to an art school and Tony continued on his path at MIT. One weekend, it was just him and Steve and the next, Steve was introducing his  _ soulmate _ to Tony.

“This is Sam. Sam, this is Tony.”

Tony would have had a breakdown about this adjustment, but they worked too well as a group. Sam was hilarious and could match his quips with even better rebuttals. They became inseparable for the last 11 years. But there were still moments where it hurt Tony to know that they bore the same soulmark while he remained blank.

Now was one of those moments. Despite his two closest friends being in the same building as him, he felt alone.

The next day felt the same. Except Tony didn’t leave his workshop at all. Steve and Sam kept bringing him food for every meal and attempting to get into the room.

“Sir, they are very concerned about you. Mr. Rogers has your dinner.”

“Tell them to set it down and I’ll grab it later.”

“Sir, I cannot allow you to-”

“Mute, J.”

The silence was immediate. Tony couldn’t worry about food and company right now. He was doing precise work of connecting small wires to the mainframe. Without complete concentration he could short circuit the entire thing and have to start over.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Tony realized that he had the full frame and structural wiring staring him in the face. He smiled to himself before pulling up the next set of blueprints for the connection points and additional wiring that was needed to make B.U.C.K.Y. an independent robot.

Somewhere between measuring the length of the arms and designing the hands, Tony found himself falling asleep at his desk. 

_ A little shuteye won’t hurt _ , Tony thought to himself as he laid his head down.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up with a blanket over his shoulders and sandwich in front of his face.

“I’m surprised you two are still hanging around,” Tony mumbled as he tried to force himself awake.

“We couldn’t go anywhere until we knew you were okay,” he heard Steve respond behind him.

“I’m fine.”

Tony grabbed the sandwich and took a bite before spinning in his chair to see Sam and Steve staring back at him.

“Are you?” Sam prodded. “You didn’t go to your dad’s funeral and then you shut us out for almost three days! What the fuck, man?”

He took a step towards Tony, but Steve grabbed his arm to hold him back.

“We were worried,” Steve interjected. “We understand why you wouldn’t have wanted to go, but we would have been with you the whole time.

Tony set his sandwich down with a sigh and walked over to Sam, wrapping him up in a hug.

“I’m sorry I worried you. I’m fine, I promise.”

He felt his back crack at the tightness of the hug returned by Sam. They didn’t let go for a while as Tony took in the sturdiness and familiarity of someone he’s known for so long. Soon, he felt another set of arms wrap around him as Steve joined.

It was at that moment that he felt himself shatter. Silent sobs wracked his body as strong arms held him up. He hadn’t known how pent up he was feeling until he was in the safety of his friends. They were the only people he felt comfortable enough to show this much vulnerability to and it felt  _ so good  _ to finally let his guard down.

In the moments that followed, Sam and Steve moved him to a bench in the workshop where they could all sit down together.

“So what have you been up to in here?” Steve asked.

“We know you couldn’t have been sitting in here doing  _ nothing _ .” Sam added.

Tony gestured over to the wires and a barely-there hand that was sitting on the table. “I found this guy in my dad’s old office and something was telling me I needed to build it. Maybe it was my scientific curiosity, but I took it and the blueprints. Been working on it ever since.”

The two men took in the now obvious silhouette of a person standing by Tony’s workstation.

“Oh, so  _ that’s _ what that is.”

Tony nudged Steve in the side with a slight chuckle.

“What’s its name?” Sam asked.

“Bionic Universally-Computerized Kinesthetic Youth.”

“That’s just a bunch of words squished together.”

“Sure, but it spells Bucky! I thought that was a cool name.”

The group laughed as they continued to take in the makings of the robot. 

“If you’re going to keep working on this,” Steve started, “I think it would be a good idea if Sam and I stick around for a while.”

Tony saw Sam nod in agreement on his other side.

“I don’t know about that, Steve. I still have so much to do. I can’t keep you two away from your home for an indefinite amount of time.”

“Do you still have that floor you set up for us?”

“Well, yeah-”

“Then I think we’ll be fine,” Sam interjected. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Tony tried to find any other argument that his two friends wouldn’t see through. For once, he couldn’t think of anything. He fumbled with his words before he relented.

“Okay, okay, fine. J, go ahead and get Steve and Sam’s room ready for extended stay.”

“Very well, Sir.”

~*~

Hours turned into days and days turned into weeks while the three friends formed some semblance of a routine. Steve and Sam took turns bringing meals to Tony. They kept him company for a few hours before switching out.

After a few days of Tony sleeping in his workshop, Sam and Steve would collectively usher him out of the workshop to sleep in his actual bed. They continued to spend their days this way. Steve would sketch or chat quietly with Tony about menial things to not really take him out of the zone.

Sam, on the other hand, kept Tony active. Every hour or so, Sam would tap Tony on the shoulder and they would get up to stretch. He would remind Tony to check his posture, reminding him to sit up straight.

It was when Sam was keeping him company that Tony found himself talking to B.U.C.K.Y., telling the robot things about his friends and himself. He wasn’t sure why he was talking to the robot this way, but it came naturally.

“Hey, Buck. Mind if I call you Buck? I’m almost done with you,” Tony mumbled then sat back in awe.

It had been two weeks and Tony had made significant progress on his robot. To his side he pulled up plans for a type of synthetic skin before he realized he had no idea what he wanted B.U.C.K.Y. to look like.

Shortly after figuring this out, Steve walked into the workshop to bring him his breakfast.

“Steve! Just the man I wanted to see. Mind coming around to take a look at something for me?”

“Good morning to you, too. What’s up?”

Tony waited for Steve to set down the plates he was holding and stood next to him.

“Bucky is almost done. I have this design for a synthetic skin, but I can’t use it without knowing what he’ll look like. Since you’re the artist in this family, do you think you could sketch something up for me?”

Steve wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulders before responding, “Of course I can.”

“Awesome! Just one request.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you leave his left arm to me? I have an idea for that.

~*~

Steve came back the following day with a design. He entered the workshop with a smug smile on his face.

He set a sketchbook on Tony’s worktable. Tony gave a questioning look in return.

“Well? Take a look. I can adjust anything you don’t like, but I think I hit the nail on the head.”

Tony shifted his gaze to the sketchbook in front of him.

To put it simply, he was speechless. The design in front of him was gorgeous, of course, but he was having a hard time looking away. There was a full body sketch on one page and on the next a bust of a smiling man with slight gaps for the synthetic skin to stretch over artificial muscles. He was clean shaven and had floppy hair. He hadn’t even  _ thought _ of hair and Steve had thought of everything.

It was when Tony realized he was caressing the sketch that he realized he had been silent for a little too long.

“Is this your ideal man, Steve?” Tony asked, trying to break the weird tension settling in the room.

“My ideal man already exists,” Steve responded proudly.

Tony could have cried with how relieved he was that Steve didn’t ask about Tony’s reaction to the sketch. It had been quite clear how he felt about it.

“Do you hear how cheesy you sound?”

The two laughed together as Steve set down a plate of breakfast food. Tony had been so distracted by the sketch of B.U.C.K.Y., he didn’t notice the food earlier.

“So, what’s the plan with the left arm? It seemed pretty important since you didn’t want me to mess with it.”

As Tony started to pull up the plans, Sam walked into the workshop with a book in hand.

“Did he like the design?”

Steve and Tony made quick eye contact before Tony said, “It’s perfect. I was just getting ready to show Steve my plans for the left arm. It seems you have impeccable timing.”

“Indeed, I do.”

Tony pulled up the plans for the arm. He turned to his best friends to show off a metal arm with a red star painted just below the shoulder.

“Isn’t that a little too on the nose for a robot, Tony?” Steve postured.

He shrugged. “Maybe, but the  _ aesthetic _ !”

“I’m with Tony. I think it looks amazing, and with the design Steve made, this will be one gorgeous robot.”

“See, Sam gets it. if you two don’t mind, I need to get back to work. I have a synthetic skin to prepare and a metal arm to build.”

~*~

It took a few more days, but soon Tony was sitting in front of his robot, no longer just wires. Currently Sam was the one in the workshop, so Tony had J call Steve down, catching the attention of Sam as well.

“Is he done, Tones?”

“Not quite. I still need to paint on the red star and upload him with his own AI, but that shouldn’t take too long.”

The door swished open without needing to knock, and Steve came barreling into the room.

“J, said it was urgent. What’s-”

Tony watched Steve take in the dormant robot with a growing smile.

“Can you paint the red star for me, Steve? You make better straight lines.”

They all laughed as Steve nodded and grabbed the supplies already waiting for him. WhileSteve painted, Tony typed in the final lines of code before sending them off to JARVIS to start the upload. Once the initiation was started and the stencil peeled off from the metal arm, all they could do now was wait.

Throughout this, Tony was a nervous wreck. He had been spending weeks with something to do, something to keep his mind occupied. Now, all he was doing was waiting. He couldn’t stop pacing around the workshop, Sam and Steve’s worried expressions following his every move.

“He’s going to work,” Sam reassured.

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“He will, Tony. He might be the one who likes you most of all, since you made him.”

A few more tense minutes passed before the group heard JARVIS say, “Sir, Bucky is ready for operation.”

All three of them rushed over to the computer and the robot. Tony took one more moment to take in his accomplishment before he hit enter and golden eyes flashed open, staring back at him.


	2. Part 2

It took a second before Tony remembered he needed to make sure B.U.C.K.Y. was functioning.

“Hello, there, Bucky. My name is Tony Stark and these are my friends Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson. First, I want to say welcome and happy birthday.”

He was captivated as he watched the golden eyes take in the three of them then the room around them. The skin moved perfectly over the protective casing Tony added to guard the wiring inside. The gold that shined from beneath matched the gold of his eyes.

A slight smile appeared on B.U.C.K.Y.’s face. “Thanks. But you don’t need to introduce yourself. I’d recognize my creator anywhere.”

Tony heard a low whistle behind him then Sam say, “Wow, Steve, you outdid yourself in designing Bucky.”

“Just working with what I was given.”

Tony couldn’t catch his breath. B.U.C.K.Y. was breathtaking. He couldn't take his eyes off of B. U. C. K. Y. He shook his head to get his mind back together and to break the piercing eye contact.

“Okay,” Tony started, “before I give you a tour of the place, we just need to do a few cursory checks.” He pulled up a digital checklist he had made a few days prior and started going through them. “Wiggle your fingers, then your toes. Lift your right arm, now left.” The sound of the metal arm shifting sent goosebumps down his arms. “Go ahead and walk around the room for me and report anything back that doesn’t feel good.”

As B.U.C.K.Y. started his lap, Tony could feel Steve and Sam staring at the back of his head.

“If you two have something you would like to share, do it now.”

Giggling started up behind him that made him turn around. “ _ What _ ?”

“Nothing!” Sam insisted.

“Actually,” Steve started after Tony gave them a stern look, “if we hadn’t known better, you looked like you had just met your soulmate by the way you were looking at him.”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that, but luckily he didn’t have to.

“Nothing to report right now. Everything feels smooth.”

Tony turned back to B.U.C.K.Y. with a pleased smile and cleared out his checklist. “Amazing. Let’s give you a tour of the place!”

The four of them headed out of the workshop and up to the main floor. Tony pointed out the living room and kitchen areas, mentioning how any place on this floor was free reign. He also told B.U.C.K.Y. that he has access to the workshop anytime Tony is in there. He ignored how Steve and Sam rolled their eyes at that statement.

“We’re on the floor above this one,” Sam added. “You’re more than welcome to hangout with us anytime Mr. Grumpy is too busy for you.”

“Thanks, Sam. Appreciated,” B.U.C.K.Y. responded with a slight nod.

“You guys are staying?” Tony decided to ask instead of commenting on  _ Mr. Grumpy _ .

“Duh. Who else is going to teach Bucky how to take care of you when we’re gone?”

“I am  _ not _ a dog!” Tony huffed.

“It’s fine, Tony. I find it helpful to know more about you,” B.U.C.K.Y. said as he put a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

The weight of the metal hand sunk through his clothes and left an imprint of the feeling after the hand was removed.

“Right, uh, very well. I have my living space two floors above this one. And, I guess, speaking of living areas: Bucky, where would you like to stay? I can get a floor ready for you.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’m fine with living on your floor.”

Stunned silence settled on the other three. But it made sense. B.U.C.K.Y. was just born. The best place to be would be near his creator.

Tony clapped his hands to shatter the quiet. “Perfect! Now, who’s hungry?”

“You know I don’t eat,” B.U.C.K.Y. deadpanned.

“But we do. Bucky, you should come with me and I’ll teach you how to cook,” Steve offered.

“I can cook,” B.U.C.K.Y. agreed.

When the two of them left the living room and into the kitchen, Sam turned to look at Tony.

“Did you program him to be attached to your hip? Because I want one.”

Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t, which makes this so strange. Ever since I stole him from my father’s office, I felt this weird feeling of importance. Maybe I ingrained it into him somehow?”

He could hear Steve and B.U.C.K.Y. chatting away in the kitchen while him and Sam waited in the living room.

“Why is he special, Tony?”

“I don’t know. And you know I don’t say that often. I can’t put into words how it feels and I don’t know why he’s any different from Jarvis, but there’s something  _ there _ .”

“I kinda get it, man. That’s how I feel about Steve. I don’t know why the universe made this one my soulmate, but there he is. Whatever feeling you’re getting, hopefully it’s a good one.”

“I think it is, Sam.”

They made their way to the couch and continued their conversation. Soon, something delicious wafted from the kitchen. Steve and B.U.C.K.Y. walked out of the kitchen holding several pizzas with different toppings on them, setting them down on the table in front of the couch.

“Bucky thought it would be a good idea for pizza and a movie to celebrate his birthday, so I told him about your favorite toppings, Tony. Plus, a pizza for me and Sam since you like to put weird stuff on yours.”

“Pineapple isn’t weird! It’s a normal pizza topping.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Anyway, what movie should we watch, Buck? You are the birthday boy afterall.”

Tony waited patiently as B.U.C.K.Y. set down the pineapple and pepperoni pizza in front of him and for the robot to sit down next to him.

“Can we watch Alien? The one from 1979?”

“Of course! That’s such a good one. What do you think, guys?”

“Fine with me,” Sam agreed.

“Um, yeah, it’s good.” Steve said, hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, hun. I’ll hold your hand,” Sam joked.

With the group in agreement, Tony pulled up the movie on the theater-like screen. Watching movies like this made him miss the use of practical effects.

When the movie started, B.U.C.K.Y. was already sitting pretty close to Tony. As it started to get scarier, he found himself moving closer to the robot in an attempt for comfort during the suspenseful scenes. One scene in particular made him jump. He curled into B.U.C.K.Y.’s side in response. He realized what he had done immediately, but soon an arm was wrapping itself around his shoulders. He could feel the synthetic skin brushing against his own, and it was scary how real and warm it felt.

Without thinking, Tony relaxed into the hold for the rest of the movie. Maybe a little too much because the next thing he knew he was being carried into the elevator.

“Oh, sorry, Steve. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he said while rubbing his eyes.

“Not a problem,” B.U.C.K.Y. responded instead.

“My bad, Buck.”

The robot stayed silent as he walked off the elevator onto Tony’s floor.

“It looks like you don’t spend a lot of time in here.”

Tony looked up at B.U.C.K.Y. but didn’t answer. He knew he didn’t spend a lot of time in his own home. He was either in his workshop or traveling. He rarely made his way up here. It wasn’t decorated or had anything personal of Tony’s. He kept that all in the workshop.

As they reached his bedroom, they were greeted with the same sad sight. The mattress didn’t even have a dip in it from use. Tony watched sleepily as he was set down on the bed after the sheets had been drawn back.

“You don’t have to tell me why. I know why you’re never up here.”

“Did Steve tell you?”

“No, Jarvis did when he uploaded my software. Steve didn't tell me anything new while we were cooking.”

Tony quickly sat up. “What did he tell you?”

“Nothing embarrassing, but you should get some rest.”

B.U.C.K.Y. gently pushed him back down onto the mattress.

“Where are you going?” Tony prodded as B.U.C.K.Y. turned to leave.

“Where do you want me to be, Tony?”

Tony caught a glimpse of golden eyes in the darkness, shining bright. It was too easy. Not even a full 24 hours and he could feel that calling getting stronger, an urge to have B.U.C.K.Y. near.

“Stay with me,” he whispered into the dark room.

Soon there was a dip on the other side of the bed as B.U.C.K.Y. laid down next to him. Tony quickly curled up on his chest before he could change his mind. He hadn’t installed a breathing function, so it felt very much like laying on something not-alive, but the skin was warm through the light layer of clothes. He was out in a matter of minutes.

~*~

Tony woke up a few hours later with his left arm tingling. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it kept tingling and soon started to burn. Sitting up with a gasp, he grabbed onto his arm, trying to curve the pain.

“What’s wrong?” B.U.C.K.Y. inquired from behind him.

Then it hit. The mentions from Sam and Steve about soulmates. This- It couldn’t be.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be right back.”

Tony rushed off the bed and into the connecting bathroom before B.U.C.K.Y. could say anything else. He closed the door behind him. A firm thud followed the click of the lock. He needed to make sure he was alone before he took his shirt off. It was a few minutes and a few deep breaths before Tony could walk forward and see his arm in the mirror.

Without a doubt, a blazing red star had burned itself onto Tony’s left arm, just below the shoulder like B.U.C.K.Y.’s. Tears started to well up in Tony’s eyes at the idea of it all. He had gone all this time without a soulmark and one day with a robot and he got one.

“Hey, J,” he choked out.

“Yes, Sir?” came the reply before Tony finished speaking.

“Get Sam for me.”

“Right away, Sir.”

“And Bucky?”

“Tell him not to come in yet. Wait in the living room. Or Something.”

“Of course, Sir.”

It was only a few minutes before Sam entered the bathroom, but it had felt like hours. He had just told JARVIS to keep his  _ soulmate _ away from him. It was so painful that the tears finally fell. He hid his mark with his hand when Sam opened the door, just in case B.U.C.K.Y. was still in the bedroom.

“Shit, Tony. What happened?” Sam sat down next to him and put a gentle hand on his back. “What’s wrong?”

Tony let his arm drop to his lap and heard Sam take in breath.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“It sure as hell hurts like one.”

“Oh, Tony. Does Bucky know?”

He shook his head. “I panicked and ran in here when I knew what was happening.” He looked up at Sam. “I had gotten used to knowing that I didn’t have a soulmate. But you and Steve kept mentioning how it was like I found my soulmate. I didn’t see it, but the universe sure did. I don’t know what to do, Sam. It’s too much.”

“I think you do know. You know how this is supposed to go, Tony. I know that it’s scary, and the world works in mysterious ways, but you need to tell him.”

“Okay, and then what? He’s an AI. He’s not made to feel love.”

“Neither was Jarvis, but I know he cares about you. You make your creations too capable for your own good. You don’t know until you give it a shot.”

“I hate how you’re always right.”

“Promise you’ll tell him?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

~*~

Tony might as well have had his fingers crossed because the next day he was wearing long sleeves and sweatpants on. After they left the bathroom, Tony walked to the elevator and didn’t invite B.U.C.K.Y. back into his room as he headed back.

In the morning, the robot was nowhere to be found and Tony, unfortunately, felt a sense of relief with the fact he didn’t have to confront B.U.C.K.Y. yet. He snuck his way down to the workshop and locked himself inside.

“Old habits die hard, huh?” he mumbled to himself.

He knew he was risking losing his soulmate by shutting him out. But it felt like too much, too soon. The feeling of urgency to get him built was a sign that he was building his future soulmate. He only had to let his guard down enough and everything changed.

The fact that he had to  _ build _ his soulmate was a little sad. Tony Stark: A Blank Slate Until He Built His Own Soulmate. The backlash could ruin Stark Industries. But it’s said as long as you have your soulmate, you’ll be happy. He wasn’t feeling very happy, to say the least.

Soon, Tony couldn’t stand his own thoughts anymore and pulled up an old project to keep his hands busy.

It was the late evening before anyone tried to come into the room. He heard the door slide open and tensed, expecting it to be the robot. When he looked up, though, he was surprised to see Steve standing before him.

“Sam told me.”

“Steve, I-”

Steve held up his hand to stop Tony’s excuses.

“He’s freaking out, Tony. He thinks he did something wrong.”

Tony’s soulmark throbbed at the thought of him hurting his soulmate. He knew what he was doing. It shouldn’t be such a surprise.

“He didn’t.”

“We’ve been trying to tell him that, but he doesn’t believe it. You need to talk to him yourself. It can’t keep going on like this, Tony.”

“I don’t know what to say to him.”

“You’ve never let that stop you before.”

Those were Steve’s parting words. The door closed behind him with a resounding thud, leaving Tony to be stuck with his own thoughts once again. He set down his tools and leaned back in his chair. Steve was right. He couldn’t keep ignoring his soulmate.

~*~

Another day passed without Tony noticing. He had it set for the lights to adjust accordingly depending on the time of day.

The door slid open again to B.U.C.K.Y. gripping his left arm, wincing in pain. Tony immediately forgot everything he was moping about and ran up to the robot.

“What happened?” Tony questioned as he pulled B.U.C.K.Y. gently by his right arm over to his work table.

“I punched a wall.”

Tony paused his task of pulling up the metal arm’s schematics to help the repair process. “You did what? Why?”

“I got frustrated. Don’t worry, it wasn’t any wall in your room.”

“I don’t care about that, Buck.” Tony looked into golden eyes. “Are you okay?”

The moment took Tony’s breath away. There was something in those eyes that meant everything to him. He stepped closer and placed a hand over B.U.C.K.Y.’s cheek, covering the gap in the skin there.

“What did I do, Tony? Why are you mad at me?”

Tony sighed and dropped his hand to go grab his tools. “I’m not, Buck. I’m just confused.”

“What about?”

“First tell me where something feels wrong in your arm and I’ll explain as I work.”

It took a few seconds for B.U.C.K.Y. to run diagnostics on himself, but he was able to point Tony in the right direction.

“Okay,” Tony started as he began opening up the arm, “what do you have in that brain of yours about soulmates?”

“Soulmates are people the universe has decided are made for each other. It’s designated by matching marks that a person gains at the age of 16. However, there are a rare bunch of people who do not get this mark. Scientists are not sure why this happens and cannot explain what or who does the choosing of soulmates.”

Tony nodded at B.U.C.K.Y.’s explanation and for himself as he found the crushed wire.

“And what do you know about me in regards to soulmates?”

It seemed that neither JARVIS or Steve told him about his lack of a soulmark because it was a few moments before the robot responded.

“From what I found, it’s that you don’t have one.”

Tony pulled the damaged wire out carefully, watching to see if B.U.C.K.Y. flinched when it was pulled.

“That’s correct. Well, until two nights ago.”

B.U.C.K.Y. was still and silent as Tony attached the new wire and closed his arm back up.

“What do you mean?”

After Tony put his tools away, he turned back to his creation. “You know that red star on your arm?” B.U.C.K.Y. nodded. “I didn’t know why I chose it. I could have left your arm blank, but something was telling me to add it.” Tony paused and took his shirt off, turning his left arm towards his soulmate. “And two nights ago, I woke up with a burn that was only ever described for soulmarks forming. Then I found out in the bathroom that that was exactly what happened.”

“Wait, does that mean-?”

“You’re my soulmate, Bucky. You are literally made for me.”

The silence was almost soul-crushing. Tony kept waiting for a response but there wasn’t one. Not even a pity laugh for his lame joke. He fumbled with his shirt as he scrambled to get it back on.

“I understand if you don’t feel that way about me. I gotta be honest, it was a longshot. I’m not even sure you can feel things like that.”

“That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Oh, so now you respond?” Tony said as he wrapped his arms around his middle. “I tell you you’re my soulmate, you say nothing. But when I insult your emotional capacity, you say it’s not fair.”

“What do you want me to say, Tony? I wouldn’t be here without you. I don’t know if I feel things as you do, but I’m learning more and more every day. With time, maybe I could learn to love.”

“What do you feel now?”

B.U.C.K.Y. moved away from the work table and towards Tony. “I know I care about you, and this place. I knew that when I opened my eyes and saw you in front of me that everything was going to be okay. I know that night in your room I was so hopeful that you’d ask me to stay. I can’t say for sure what that means in my feelings for you, but I know that there’s something here.”

Tony placed his hand back on B.U.C.K.Y.’s cheek and smiled gently. “I guess that’s all I can ask for right now.”

“If you’re scared of me going anywhere, I’m not. I don’t want to be any further from you than I have to be.”

“At least we have that feeling in common.”

“Tony?”

“Yes, Buck?”

“I thought of something else you could ask me for.”

The flick of B.U.C.K.Y.’s eyes to Tony’s lips made his heart pound in his chest.

“What’s that?”

“I think you know,” B.U.C.K.Y. said as Tony’s eyes trailed down as well. “It’s a yes, by the way. You can.”

That was all the permission Tony needed before he leaned up and kissed his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on tumblr at yourselenite :)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at yourselenite :)


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